Bishop's Stortford student Archie Day's memory lives on in friends' fundraising

Friends of former Bishop's Stortford High School boy Archie Day have raised more than £9,000 in his memory.

Daniel Cox, 20, from Hatfield Heath, unfurled a flag bearing his pal's image when he reached the 5,895m (19,341ft) summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – Africa's highest peak – after trekking for five days.

Archie took his own life three weeks after moving from his home in Sawbridgeworth to study broadcast journalism at the University of Salford. He was 20.

The talented YouTube video blogger had struggled with mental health issues for some time before his death on October 5, 2018.

Since then his father, personal trainer and musician Ken Day, has campaigned for better understanding of the pressures young men like Archie face and how hard it is to seek help.

His son's friends have rallied to the cause, with Dan raising £1,244 for mental health charity Mind and the Alzheimer's Society. He funded his trip to Tanzania through a paid internship he won as part of his economics degree studies at the University of York.

"My grandad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago and I've seen first hand the work that the Alzheimer's Society does in supporting families impacted," said Dan.

"In this past year I've also been affected by the suicide of a close friend, Archie, and I hope that by doing this trip in his memory we can continue to raise awareness around mental health."

He and Archie attended Hatfield Heath Primary School along with Rory Marrow, who ran the Kew Gardens 10k on what would have been Archie's 21st birthday and raised £6,920 for Mind.

Dan and Rory went on to Leventhorpe School in Sawbridgeworth while Archie went first to TBSHS and then Herts and Essex High School to take A-Levels.

Rory, who is studying management, politics and international relations at Lancaster University, said: "Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds and I believe that more has to be done in order to combat the stigma surrounding mental health.

"Archie was the most loving and kind-hearted individual I have ever had the honour to meet, and I will cherish all the amazing times we have had together for the rest of my life."

Ken was on hand to see Rory cross the Kew Gardens 10k finish line in 48 minutes and two seconds. Rory said: "So far, including Gift Aid, we've raised just over £8,000."

Ken said: "It's very important for the family that something positive comes out of this tragedy, and Dan's and Rory's work has done so much to raise awareness of the mental health issues faced by so many these days. We can't begin to thank them enough."

Go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rory-marrow to support Rory. To sponsor Dan, go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=KilimanDan&pageUrl=1.